Can we modernize the agriculture technology and productivity? Can the promises be kept?

Every generation needs a revolution - an entrepreneurial revolution

This post was amazed by a video on Saudi Arabia modernizing its agriculture.   Their agri contributes about $18.00 billion to their GDP.  Who woud think that this could happen to a country largely covered by desert?

May be Saudi leaders saw that they could not be too dependent on oil exports and coulld not  dependent on agri imports  

It employed several techniques much known to our leaders in achieving such self sufficiency and surplus

     1.   Water

           1.  Tapping aquifers

           2.  Desalination plants

     2.  Helping farmers

          1.  Interest free loans

          2   Technical assistance

    3.  Massive investments in agriculture and technologies    (about $20 billion)

Saudi Agriculture

Why cant we achieve the same level of sufficiency and modernization.  We have some of the best schools in agriculture:    UPLB and CLSU  (2/3 of CLSU faculty are doctorate)   Our Sec of Agriculture is no less than the President.   We have plenty of rains and water in the Philippines.   We do not need desalination plants like Saudi

Why are we having shortages in onions, garlic, and lately in eggs   and oh yes sugar and rice.  This is an embarrassment (All tallks lang during the campaign to modernize agriculture? More passion needed

I met Dr. Tito Cantado who owns a company that produces Noni Juice and he bewailed the state of agriculture world wide (as he served as consultant of FAO.   The focus on subsistence farming 

and traditional farming are roadblocks to agricultural productivity   Corporate farming, leases to agricultural lands under land reform (as what DOLEfil  is doing at Gensan

Let us wake up men.   

2023 promises to be a challenging year for businesses

Every generation needs a revolution - an entrepreneurial revolution

Tougher times ahead in 2023. Manila Times

Difficult 2023 IMF

Its going to be challenging year 2023 for businesses. On the micro level, many businesses closed shop:   food outlet serving Ramen, coffee shops milk tea shops (hole in the wall type)  two big restaurants, bike shops   Many buko vendors and fruit vendors along Manila East road   

Challenging 2023 ahead of us

5 Changes in the Global markets

At the Macro level, there seems to be huge growth of 7.6% in 2022, but after discounting the inflation rate of 4%, we are left with nominal 3.6% not something to crow about   And if we compare the numbers to pre pandemic numbers, we were at the same level     Many big establishments are permanently closing   Even our airlines are heavily indebted  and could face financial downfall 

A slower growth, if any is expected in 2023   

A building supplier who went into airport business whose plant is nearby is reported to have difficulty meeting its payroll

The inflation, the high interest rate at US which drives down the Peso value vs the dollar, the high energy costs, the Ukaraine war, the China covid wildfire spread do not mean well for Philippine economy..

WE MUST WORK HARDER BE MORE INNOVATIVE BE MORE entrepreneurial    The telecon, the energy food too  travel sectors seem robust and steady.   Tourism,..?    The glamping bike tourism is on the way down.  Many sites priced themselves out of the market   We must engage in cost reduction, protecting our liquidity, focussing on sales and collection

We must be open to new opportunities,  and seek and screen them   All ready there are two projects that I must evaluate.  And trips to the provinces are plenty.  We are sewing one up and in the contract signing stage.  

Next week I will have a meeting with Puerto Princesa business men and we wil discuss possible projects

Greensill, a good business idea executed incorrectly - a fraudster?

Every generation needs a revolution - an entrepreneurial revolution

Started as a discounting of receivable business model   The notes were packaged as securities

But some of these invoices do not exist